


I'm Yours, A Hidden Love Story

by Deviant_Donghun



Series: Detroit one shots [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Not Beta Read, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 16:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17922395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Donghun/pseuds/Deviant_Donghun
Summary: In a world where every computer that comes alive has the soul of a departed human, androids are waking up left and right. One in particular gets into contact with his soulmate. Can he survive long enough to meet her?





	I'm Yours, A Hidden Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing was created because I was watching Brian Dechart play the game and saw a particular cut scene that caught my attention. It was right before Markus invaded Stratford Tower, when he was observing the androids being abused. At the end of the scene, one android in the parking space turned his head to watch Markus walk away, the android's LED turning red. This is that android's story.

Adrian looked just like all the other AP700s that you would see about Detroit or even America. Whether its following their owners, waiting in parking bays, doing tasks independently, or being sold in Cyberlife stpres, you can see an AP700 on every street. Any android for that matter.  
That's actually what he had been doing when it happened. He was standing in an android parking area, waiting for his owner to finish her shopping. Now, Adrian isn't like most androids in one regard. Most of them are mindless supercomputers on two legs, following orders with no thoughts or feelings of their own. Adrian, on the other hand, was one of a small part of the androids, a minority if you will. The androids within this minority were actually alive. They were refered to as 'deviants'. Not that his owners knew that he was alive, he never let them know.

So now, here he is, feeling bored but knowing that he's not allowed to move. Looking to his left, he tried to entertain himself by people watching, a pastime that had quickly turned into a habit of his. He saw many people and their androids but the person who drew his eyes was a dark skinned man sitting on a bench, looking around as if he had no idea what he was doing. He had a nice coat and carried himself with purpose, so he stood out in the crowd. When he glanced at the android parking, Adrian was able to see his eyes. He startled to realize that the man had different colored eyes, one blue and one green. They lingered on the androids standing at the parking, almost as if he cared but couldn't do anything for them. The man watched everyone else for a few more minutes before standing and walking away. Adrian turned his head to watch the man go, his LED going to yellow.

It was at that moment that Adrian was distracted by a slight pressure on his arm. His LED spun red as he tried to understand why it felt like something with a thin, blunt tip was moving on his arm without moving anymore than he should. His owner, Hazel, chose that moment to come out of the store, effectively stopping him from raising his sleeve as he so desired. He followed her back to the self driving car and set it to take them home.

Once there, her husband, Hugh, told Adrian to wash the dishes. As he walked over to the sink, the android rolled his sleeves up, just as he always did. As he reached to turn the faucet on, he looked at his forearm. To his surprise, he found that the pressure he had felt had left words on his skin. One word, imprinted over and over again: _Bored Bored Bored Bored Bored._

Adrian had no idea what to do. He had heard of this happening amongst deviants, where a newly awakened android would find that they had a soulmate. He had just never expected it to happen to him. He had been a deviant for months, and yet nothing like this had happened.  
Noticing that the water had filled the sink, he cut it off and picked up the first dishes, allowing his arms to be submerged in the warm liquid and briefly deactivating and reactivating the skin on that arm to get rid of the ink.

✍✍✍

[Sapphire](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6e/63/fe/6e63fe5e0131eff3da74462ae0e5aa38.jpg) almost fell off her bed when the words she had scrawled on her arm disappeared. She had been trying to figure out what to do for the Saturday afternoon that she had nothing to fill, writing on her arm in her boredom. Never, in her life, had she ever gotten a response, so she had stopped. It was only today that, as she zoned out, she got a response. She was definitely sure that it wasn't the response she was hoping for all her life. It hadn't even faded away, like so many of her friends had talked about when the ink was washed off. Instead, it just disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place.

Looking at her bare arm again, Saph was determined to see if she was hallucinating or not. **Hello?** There was no response but, as she watched with bated breath, the ink did smear, as if the arm was just brushed by something.

Sapphire jumped to her feet and danced on her bed for a few minutes, her feelings through the roof in excitement. Flopping back down, reality crashed onto her. Her soulmate had ignored her for her whole life! Twenty eight years of no response, and now, they don't even bother to respond! Just wipping it off, as if the ink never existed and, through it, her!

Grabbing the pen from where she had dropped it, the woman prepared to give the person on the other side a piece of her mind.

✍✍✍

Adrian could only watch in horror as his arm was quickly filled with expletives and curses, all of them directed at him. When the forearm was covered, he finally finished the last dish and couldn't use the water as an excuse anymore. Looking around the counters, he found a marker that had been used to label leftovers. Grabbing it, Adrian looked over his shoulder to make sure that the others hadn't noticed. They were all busy with other things and didn't even notice that the android was still in the kitchen, let alone that he had grabbed a marker.

Looking down at his ink covered forearm, Adrian could feel the pen start to go up to where the bicep would be for a human. He shifted his skin to get rid of the ink on the forearm, letting the rest be. Quickly, he wrote: Could you please stop?

The pen on the other side stopped and he let out a breath of a sigh. He took a second to get rid of the ink covering his upper arm before writing again. **I don't know what I did to upset you, but I'm sorry.**

The reply came quickly, dripping in hate and anger. _You don't know what you did?! Do you have any idea how ling I've waited for you? And finally when you respond all I get is a 'sorry'?? No! You don't get to do that to me!_

**Please, just tell me what's going on. I can't properly apologize for something I don't know of.**

_I've lived my whole life with nothing! I've watched my friends and family write on their arms and legs and anywhere they can reach and see their soulmate respond while I've tried the same thing and gotten NOTHING!!!! No response, not even the ink getting smeared to show that it was seen in anyway. And yet, today, after I had given up on ever having a soulmate, you just clean it off as of it were a bug to squash. As if I were a bug to squash, you erased it without another thought. THAT is what you have to apologize for. THAT is what you have to explain to me._

**Today was the first time I ever saw your writing. If I had known that there was anyone there for me, I would have responded or even initiated. I'm sorry for not being there for you when you needed it. I'm here now, though. Does that not mean something?**

_*Sigh* No, it doesn't mean much right now. You weren't there when I needed it and the first time you talk to me is to ask me to stop. What do you have to say for yourself, huh?_

Adrian was about to give a response but was called by Hazel. "Adrian! Get over here if you're done with the dishes."

"Yes, Ma'am." He spoke with the even tone that he had used for as long as he could remember. Walking with a measured step over to her, he tugged his sleeves down, hiding the writing.

When he got there, he was handed the toddler son of the household, Trenton. "Take care of him for a while. I need to get work done."  
"Yes Ma'am." Adrian walked through the house, making his way to the nursery. He played with the child until he fell asleep against the android's side, one arm curled around his arm. Adrian pulled the marker out of his pocket, looking back at his arm.  
**I'm sorry I'm so late in replying, I had to take care of something.**  
✍✍✍

Sapphire had been lounging around her house for the past few hours, trying to blow off steam and get some work done. She managed to clean up her coffee table but didn't get much farther than that when she found a book she had left there after finishing it a few weeks ago. She sat down and read it, getting a quarter way through it before she felt the sensation of someone writing on her arm. Looking down, she found that the other person had responded.

**I'm sorry I'm so late in replying, I had to take care of something.**

She picked up the pen she had left on the couch beside her. _Do I want to know what that was? Or are you not going to tell me?_

**I had to take care of my employers child.**

_Why did you pause before writing 'employers'? Are you in some kind of trouble?_

**No, we just have an interesting relationship so I don't know how to describe it. Employers is the best way I can think of to describe what they are to me.**

_Okay. Are you going to answer my earlier question? The one about why you just now responded?_

**I don't know why. I've never gotten your other messages. Today's was the first one I received. I'm sorry for not responding but it would have been bad if anyone had gotten sight of that. That's why I had to get rid of it before anyone could see and why I had to ask you to stop. Although, with the way you talk about it, I think I actually do deserve to be yelled at like you did to me.**

Sapphire sighed. This person, who she still had no idea what their name was, let alone their gender, seemed innocent of any fault in this. _Maybe it's not our fault. Maybe we're just a glitch in the system and the bond hadn't kicked in until now._

**That is a possibility.**

They talked late into the night. Sapphire finally learned that the man on the other side was named Adrian, a nice and whimsical name. He said that his mom liked that kind of name when he was born. They stopped talking only when Sapphire fell asleep.

✍✍✍

Adrian was sent out for errands, alone this time. This rarely ever happened so he was very excited. During the course of the day, he kept chattering at Saphhire, asking her what she looked like. He told her she sounded pretty when she told him that she had green eyes and blonde hair. He thought it was cute that she wore glasses. The day went without much incident, Adrian avoiding most protests and staying away from small alleys. When he got home, he was told to keep the kids quiet while their parents were doing a business call. Taking Trenton and the older Annabel upstairs to the nursery, he let them play. Annabel eventually got bored with the toys so Adrian had to find some other way of entertaining the small child.

Taking a pen from the writing desk in there, he allowed the young girl to draw on his arms. She covered the pale skin with the colors of the pens and the random drawings that come from the mind of a young human child. When Adrian was called down to make dinner, he left his sleeves up, knowing that he'll need them up to deal with the food.

However, Hazel caught sight of his arms. "Adrian!" She said, anger in her tone. "What happened to you?!"

He looked down at his arms, seeing the drawings meander around his skin as if it were covered with tattoos applied while drunk. "My apologies, Ma'am. I allowed Annabel to draw on me in order to keep her quiet, as you asked."

"Clean that up at once, it is a mess!"

Adrian simply bowed his head and shifted his skin, erasing the pen. "Is that better, Ma'am?"

"Yes. Now, get to work on dinner."

"Yes, Ma'am." He began preparing the meal, smiling at the little mark that appeared near his elbow, somthing that told him that Saph had seen the drawings. He would have to talk to her later about them, but for now was content to know she was fine with it.

Later that night, Adrian was sitting at the kitchen table, writing on his arm to Sapphire. Normally, he would be in sleep mode in the corner at this time but, ever since she had first contacted him, Adrian had turned that function off and instead used the time to write or talk to Sapphire.

**Sorry about earlier, I had no other way of keeping her quiet.**

A response came out, directly below his message. _It's fine. She's adorable. Who is she anyways?_

**My employers' other child.**

_Two kids huh? And you take care of them both?_

**Yes, I do**.

They continued to talk about anything and everything they could think of until Sapphire fell asleep again, her pen trailing across her skin and leaving a mark that Adrian cleaned off before allowing himself to go into sleep mode.

He woke before the rest of the household the next morning, already making breakfast for the family. Hugh came down first, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

"What's on the calendar for today, Adrian?"

"The only things on the calendar is a family lunch and walk through town. Other than that, the family calendar is empty."

"What about the work calender, you stupid machine?"

Adrian rattled off the many things on the always packed work calender that Adrian had purposely worked around the family calendar. He always did the family first, then the work so Hugh and Hazel can't have any excuse to ignore their kids.

They were on their walk, Annabel wanting to do it before lunch, Adrian trailing after the family, when it happened. A large group of people, no, androids, walked out of the train station and down the street. At the front was the same man Adrian had seen just a few days ago. He was bringing in androids right and left. Adrian got excited as those eyes were focused on him. “Wake up.” The man's voice spoke directly in his head. “Join us.”

So, Adrian did. He ran out and joined the throng, soon getting lost in the crowd. They marched along, soon sending out cries of freedom and rights. Eventually, the police were called in, even going so far as to get the SWAT team out. The man leading them, Markus, stood his ground, getting everyone to raise their hands.

"Would you fire on unarmed protesters?" He asked.

The police simply responded with an order to disperse, threatening to shoot. Markus stayed where he was, even as it was obvious that his inner circle was debating the merit of staying. Markus raised one hand, paused to hear more from his advisors it seemed, then followed through with the order to charge. Adrian ran forward with the rest, even as he saw some androids falling to either side of him. He got shot in the shoulder but kept going, trying to follow this man who promised freedom.

In the chaos, someone gave the order to retreat. Going along with the crowd, Adrian was led to a man hole that had been left uncovered. He went with the flow of everyone, walking for what felt like at least a block or two before coming up in a different part of the city. Looking around, Adrian could tell that he wasn't the only one that looked lost. Nevertheless, part of the crowd seemed to know where they were going to, so he followed them. They got to a large ship with the word Jericho painted on the side.

They all entered and it seemed that people were doing a headcount. He wasn't sure if they were trying to figure out how many they had lost or gained. They got to him and askedhow badly he was injured.

"It was just a shot through the shoulder." He replied, trying to take the focus off of him and onto others worse off.

"Go see Lucy, she'll stop the bleeding and at least close the wound. You may be left with less mobility, though."

"Thanks." Adrian set off in the direction he was pointed in, and, after having his wounds seen to and his LED removed, sat on a crate.

_Adrian? Adrian!_

Adrian looked down at his arm as he felt the now familiar pen. It was amazing how attached he got to the feeling and the person behind it when he had only known her for a few days. Looking around, he tried to find a pen or anything to write with. He found one in his pocket, the marker still being there. **Yeah, Saph? What did you need?**

_Thank goodness you're alright. I heard about the android protests earlier and worried if you got hurt or not._

This confused Adrian because he had never told her he was an android. **No, the protesters didn't harm me. Are you okay? How was work?**

_Work was fine. I'm fine._

They kept talking until late into the night when something happened. One second everything was fine, the next there was that same voice from earlier, Markus' voice, telling him to get out. He headed for the exit closest to him, trying not to panic. He had no idea what was going on until men in full body armor came around a corner, shooting at them. Ducking, Adrian practially fell out of the exit. Landing in the cold water jared his processors and froze his repaired shoulder. He made for land as fast as he can, once again following the crowd. They made their way to an abandoned church. They stayed there for a few hours, letting everyone dry off and again trying to count how many they had. Markus gave a big speech about wanting to have peace and deciding to go talk with the humans. He asked if anyone was with him and said that whoever didn't want to be in danger could stay here until it was over.

Adrian decided to fight for his freedom. He wanted to feel every bit as human as he could, even if that meant dying before properly meeting his soulmate. Having that person and knowing that she was only a thought away made him brave, gave him something to fight for that he didn't have before. Those thoughts carried him through the night, through the gun fire, through the barricades, kept him standing as the reinforcements came, those thoughts kept him going through Markus' speech about finally being free.

Stumbling back to the church, Adrian felt exhausted. He knew that everything was over, but it had also just begun as androids now had to legally become free and sentient. He allowed sleep mode to active and drifted off into thoughts of Sapphire.

The next morning, Adrian woke to the last thought he fell asleep with: Find Sapphire. With this in mind, he once again uncapped the marker. **Saph? May I ask where you live?**

He had to wait a few minutes for a response. Even then, when he got one it was only half readable.  _Whyyouwannaknow?_

**I got some time off work and wanted to meet you. Is that okay?**

_Yeah come on over. Doors open._ The next thing that came out was slightly easier to read than the previous things and it did seem to be an address of sorts. Erasing all but the address, he stood up and prepared to leave.

As he was walking to the door, someone else stood up and moved to intercept his path. Waiting, Adrian allowed the man to catch up to him. It turned out to be Markus. "Everything alright?"

Adrian smiled. "Yes, everything's fine. Thank you."

"Where are you going? Don't you want to stay with everyone else? The world is still a very dangerous place."

Adrian's smile grew. He pulled back his sleeve to show the address. "I've got a place to go, don't worry."  
"Ah. A soulmate."

"Have you found yours?"

His head turned, eyes finding the still sleeping form of another android. "Yes, I have. Good luck with yours." His eyes turned back at the last sentence, voice sincere.

"Thank you. You too." With that, Adrian was out the door and heading down the street. There was a spring in his step that couldn't be deterred by the weather that seemed to be insistent in snowing.

It seemed that Sapphire lived quite close as he reached her house in little time.

Knocking on the door, Adrian straightened his clothes. He wished he had something to wear that was better than his uniform, but it was too late now. The door opened to reveal a sleepy head. Her glasses were just barely on, her hair was a mess and her eyes were only half opened. "Hello?" She muttered, voice still rough with sleep. She looked beautiful.

"Hello, Saph. It's good to meet you." Adrian's voice betrayed him by wavering just the smallest bit.

"Adrian? Is that you?" She was wide awake now, hand reaching to push her glasses farther up.

"Yes, it's me. May I . . . come in?"

"Of course!" The door was opened wider. "Come on in."

Stepping inside, he looked around. The interior was dark, not much being able to be made out. His eyes went back to Sapphire, trying to drink her in.

"You're not mad that I'm an android?" He asked, hesitation still permeating his voice.

Her laugh was like bells, like the sound of ice being tapped. "Of course not! I've known for a while now."

"We only met about two to three days ago. Please define 'a while'."

She smiled. "You talk like that, you never fall alseep first, and you are able to erase the messages imeadiately. Add to that the fact that you never responded when I was younger and androids didn't exist, I had a working theory."

Adrian relaxed, happy to be accepted for who he was. "That's good to hear."

They spent the rest of the day together, Sapphire calling in sick for work. At the end of it, they decided that Adrian should move in with her. And thus, Adrian got a happily ever after, something that he thought only happened in fairytales and to actual living beings, not something made out of plastic. Not that Sapphire minded.


End file.
